The ultimate objective of this research is to generate behavioral approaches to understand and influence survival in cancer patients, to reduce the cancer risk through coping with life stress, and to better understand the coping factors that might influence the quality of life for such patients. Given the ambiguous state of current knowledge about behavioral factors in cancer, immediate research task is to evaluate whether stress and coping have anything to do with the disease progression as well as with adjustment to the disease, the risk of cancer, or susceptibility to illness in general. The research design combines traditional epidemiological approaches with process-oriented in-depth clinical studies of the same individuals over time. Two main groups will be studied: 1) Persons referred for cancer diagnosis; and 2) A matched control group without suspicion of cancer. These groups will be further subdivided into two cohorts, one with a recent pattern of high life stress, the other reporting low life stress, aside from the present possibility of cancer. Smaller subsamples will be selected for intensive psychological study over a three-year period during which close attention will be paid to the daily stresses they must face, their emotional patterns, patterns of coping, overall quality of adjustment, and their cancer and general health status. Analysis will focus primarily on relating patterns of stress and coping to life circumstances, personality characteristics, medical outcomes, morale, and behavioral adjustment.